Daily Roots will be a recurring feature of this site. It is a a way of revisiting music, books, and ideas that first took hold decades ago — not out of nostalgia, but because some things refuse to stay in the past. This felt like the right place to begin, because Phil Ochs wrote songs that keep rewriting themselves every time history circles back on itself.
This post was originally written in 2017 during the first Trump administration but it’s even more relevant here in 2026!
Phil Ochs and “Here’s to the State of Mississippi “
As I have watched the unfolding of the events surrounding the President over the last few weeks the similarities to Trump and Nixon get stronger every day. These similarities led me to the songs of Phil Ochs. Well at least to one song “Here’s to the State of Mississippi”
Way back in the mid-60s during the height of the Civil Rights struggle many people were aghast at the actions of the people of Mississippi. Folksinger Phil Ochs responded through song and wrote the classic “Here’s to the State of Mississippi”. In the song Ochs sang….
Here’s to the state of Mississippi, For underneath her borders, the devil draws no lines, If you drag her muddy river, nameless bodies you will find. whoa the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes, the calendar is lyin’ when it reads the present time. Oh here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of, Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!….
Updating the Song “Here’s to the State of Richard Nixon”
Fast forwarding several years and Phil needed to update the song and change Mississippi to Richard Nixon. In updating the song he added a new versus just for Tricky Dick…..
And here’s to the government of Richard Nixon In the swamp of their bureaucracy They’re always bogging down And criminals are posing As advisors to the crown And they hope that no one sees the sights And no one hears the sounds And the speeches of the president Are the ravings of a clown
Complete lyrics Here. Here’s Phil performing the song……
Hmm, seem like any government we may know??? Yep! Old Tricky Dick and Donald are like twin sons of different mothers!!
And Now – Here’s to the State of Donald Trump
While I was searching YouTube for Phil’s version of the song I can across this updated version of the song. It includes verses for Steve Bannon and Jeff Sessions along with dear Donald! Enjoy!
And after 50 plus years the question remains “why do Republicans hate poor people?”
Philip David Ochs was an American songwriter, protest singer, and political activist. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, and political commentary. He wrote about 200 songs in the 1960s and 1970s and released eight albums. Wikipedia
Five New Albums to Add to My Music Library from Tunes Used CD Store
Yesterday in the post re-introducing Me, Myself, Music and Mysteries I wrote that previously I had found a lot of music at Tunes in Marlton, NJ.That action reminded me that I still had a $15.00 Gift Card to Tunes that my son Peter had given me about a year ago.
So…. after finishing the post and no Eagles game to watch I decided to make a trip to Tunes. I really haven’t been to Tunes much since my kids have grown and online music sources like Rhapsody and Spotify have come into existence. It’s really a lot easier to check out new music from the comfort of your own house.
The trip today though reconfirmed that I really enjoy scouring the bins looking for those special bargains on great music. Sometimes the bargains are albums from musicians you know. Other times you may find an album from someone you have never heard. However, because the price is so low you can take a chance on the album.
The albums that I found yesterday are all from musicians that I am familiar. Some of the albums I have even written about on this blog. Anyway, here are the five albums that I bought with my $15.00!!
The Five Albums
Two of the albums that I found at Tunes yesterday I have previously listened to and enjoyed. However, I listened to them on Spotify, and I don’t have the physical CD. So it’s great to have them…..They are
Hot Rize – When I’m Free
Released in 2014, When I’m Free was Hot Rize’s first studio album in 24 years.
When I started to listen to a lot of music and collecting CDs, thanks to the used CD bins at Tunes in Marlton, in the early 2000s, I found the music of Tim O’Brien, an amazing multi-instrumentalist and singer. I also discovered the music of guitarist Charles Sawtelle. It took a while before I stumbled upon a great bluegrass album So Long a Journey (2002) from the band Hot Rize. I discovered that both O’Brien and Sawtelle were members of the band, along with Pete Wernick, and Nick Forster.
Subsequently, I discovered that the album was a live album that had been recorded in 1996 and was a reunion album of the band, that had retired in 1990. In 1990, the members had parted ways and went on to have distinguished solo careers Conitnue Reading
The Lonely Heartstring Band – Deep Waters
From My Previous Post
Among the albums that were released this Friday was Deep Waters the debut release on Rounder Records from the Boston-based band The Lonely Heartstring Band. Ken Irwin, a founder of Rounder Records, said
“The Lonely Heartstring Band is not only one of the most exciting bands musically we’ve heard in a while, but they combine artistry with a great attitude and commitment that makes them irresistible. Plus, they’ve just made an amazing record”
After listening to the album yesterday and today, I totally agree Deep Waters is a great album and these 2015 IBMA Momentum Award winners can flat-out bring it. Great pickin’ and singin’! Four out the five members of the band met as students at the Berklee College of Music, which says volumes about their respective musical abilities in my eyes and ears. The band was founded in 2012 by Charles Clements (bass & vocals), George Clements (guitar & lead vocals), Gabe Hirshfeld (banjo), Patrick M’Gonigle (fiddle, vocals), and Matt Witler (mandolin). Since its founding the band has built a devoted following playing and headlining at major music festivals and historic venues from Western Canada to California, from Kentucky to New Hampshire. – Read More
The other three albums are all jazz albums.
Miles Davis – Birth of Cool
I wore out Miles’s Bitches Brew when it was in college. Since then I have listened to and enjoyed a lot of his other albums. However, Birth of Cool was not in my music library until now!
From: AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
So dubbed because these three sessions — two from early 1949, one from March 1950 — are where the sound known as cool jazz essentially formed, Birth of the Cool remains one of the defining, pivotal moments in jazz. This is where the elasticity of bop was married with skillful, big-band arrangements and a relaxed, subdued mood that made it all seem easy, even at its most intricate. After all, there’s a reason why this music was called cool; it has a hip, detached elegance, never getting too hot, even as the rhythms skip and jump. Indeed, the most remarkable thing about these sessions — arranged by Gil Evans and featuring such heavy-hitters as Kai Winding, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, and Max Roach — is that they sound intimate, as the nonet never pushes too hard, never sounds like the work of nine musicians.
Furthermore, the group keeps things short and concise (probably the result of the running time of singles, but the results are the same), which keeps the focus on the tones and tunes. The virtuosity led to relaxing, stylish mood music as the end result — the very thing that came to define West Coast or “cool” jazz — but this music is so inventive, it remains alluring even after its influence has been thoroughly absorbed into the mainstream Read More at AllMusic
Here is a past post about Lee Konitz who played on Birth of Cool
Bud Powell – The Best of Bud Powell – The Blue Note Years
This album contains fifteen tracks from the following albums recorded on the Blue Note label. The tracks were recorded and released between 1957 and 1958. The critic’s rating on all of the individual albums are either 4 or 4.5 stars out of five! So, I think that I am going to enjoy this collection!
1957–58: Bud Plays Bird (Roulette / Blue Note) 1958: Time Waits: The Amazing Bud Powell (Vol. 4) (Blue Note) 1958: The Scene Changes: The Amazing Bud Powell (Blue Note)
Powell’s band mates on the various tracks include:
Fats Navaro, trumpet, Sonny Rollins, tenor sax, Max Roach and Philly Joe Jones, drums!
Yes, I think that I will really like this CD!! Here is a link to short post I wrote about Bud on his birthday!
The Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughin- The Inner Mounting Flame
Columbia released The Inner Mounting Flame in 1971. I know I listened to it way back when, but somehow it never made it into my music library. Thank you Tunes and Peter for taking care of tha
From the AllMusic Review by Richard S. Ginel This is the album that made John McLaughlin a semi-household name, a furious, high-energy, yet rigorously conceived meeting of virtuosos that, for all intents and purposes, defined the fusion of jazz and rock a year after Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew breakthrough. It also inadvertently led to the derogatory connotation of the word fusion, for it paved the way for an army of imitators, many of whose excesses and commercial panderings devalued the entire movement.
Though much was made of the influence of jazz-influenced improvisation in the Mahavishnu band, it is the rock element that predominates, stemming directly from the electronic innovations of Jimi Hendrix. The improvisations, particularly McLaughlin’s post-Hendrix machine-gun assaults on double-necked electric guitar and Jerry Goodman’s flights on electric violin, owe more to the freakouts that had been circulating in progressive rock circles than to jazz, based as they often are on ostinatos on one chord. Read More
The Inner Mounting Flame is one of the 1,000 recordings in the book,1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. (Note: My son Andrew gave me this book fpr Father’s Day.. You think he was trying to tell me something?)Just joking! Anyway the next time I listen to the album I guess I’ll only have 999 to go! Of course I actually have less because I know I have herd many of the albums already!!
At the end of each article there is a box that lists various information about the album. The information listed includes: the genre of the album, its release date, along with key tracks and a catalog choice track.The final two fields are the Next Stop and After That. After The Inner Mounting Flame the next stop is King Crimson’s Larks’ Tongues in Aspic. After That –Tortoise’sTNT. I know I have heard the King Crimson album, but I don’t know Tortoise’s TNT. So I’m off to find it!
So overall, I think I got a pretty good haul for my $15.00. Actually, I have to confess that the total bill came to $17.08. Which is still almost equal to the price of one CD! So by for now I have some listening and ripping to do!!
First Posted March 2014 revised and updated Junw 2026
So return with me now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, the year was 1969, I was a naïve eighteen year-old and sometime during that year. probably on Gen Shay’s show on WDAS-FM this song from Jerry Jeff Walker.
Reflections about Ramblin’ Scrambblin’ from JJW
You know I don’t think I’d ever heard a song that included a drop kick in the crotch or someone getting rolled, let alone in the same song!!
The song came from Jerry Jeff’s second album, Driftin’ Way of Life. ” Through the years, “Ramblin’ Scramblin'” along with “Drifting Way of Life” and “Morning Song to Sally” became my my favorite songs from the album
And About the Diversity o the Music of JJW
. Thinking about JJW and his music, one thing I like about his music is that in one song he can be all “Gonzo” and the next minute he can be singing something as nice and beautiful as “Morning Song to Sally” and a bonus song “I Makes Money” from the album Mr Bojangles
So before we break out the “Sangria Wine” and “Redneck Mother”, let’s go “into the night” with “Morning Song to Sally”
2026 Post Update
Jerry Jeff Walker passed away in 2020, but for those of us who first heard him back in those late-sixties and early-seventies days, the music still sounds just as alive, funny, reckless and heartfelt as it did coming out of the FM radio all those years ago.
If you are just discovering the music of Jerry Jeff or If you’re a fan visit Jerry Jeff’s website to see What’s New
As I was working along last night at Target, my thoughts drifted back to Andrew, Meaghan and little Oliver and the perilous journey that they are embarking on.
We took that trip four times, well maybe we’re still on the journey, and it seems that the results so far, have been very successful! But it’s a tough trip. There are many obstacles along the way. Many wrong words to say, many wrong actions to take. All you can do is try to keep them safe and try to help them develop a strong moral character.
Often as my children were growing I told them, “you know what’s right and what’s wrong so do the right thing! Finally love them unconditionally. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be wrong, or do things that you don’t like. At that point in time, you may not like them very much but you never stop loving them!!
And beyond those things you just hope for the best! And I think we got it right so far!!
Anyway, here are three songs that floated into the jukebox in my head!
The first one “Younger Generation” was a part of my life in the early 70s, at a time when I was in college and maybe a bit rebellious, but it always made me stop and think about what it would be like to look at the relationship from the other side!
The last two first “Father and Son” from Yosuf Islam (Cat Stevens)and then Tom Rush “Child’s Song” talk about those middle stages of the parent child relationship, again these songs came into my life in the 70s when I was in those stages and made me think about what it’s like on both sides of the divide, and maybe how we never should let that divide get too wide!!
So Meg, Andrew and Oliver good luck and I know you two know the right things to do to create a loving and nurturing environment for Oliver! Beyond that Best of Luck!!
John B Sebastian – “Younger Generation”
Yusuf/Cat Stevens – “Father & Son”
Tom Rush – “Child’s Song”
Jerry Jeff Walker “Quiet Faith of Man”
Quiet Faith of Man
A baby child is born along the highway A tiny little thing upon the land An okie with his dreams out on the byway Lifts the tiny baby in his hand The woman smiles a little smile of knowing And whispers something softly in his ear Perhaps a little prayer to help the growing Perhaps a word of comfort through the fears.
You trust the moon to move the mighty ocean You trust the sun to shine upon the land You take the little that you know And you do the best you can You see the rest with the quiet faith of man.
Words and Music by Bill Staines
Post Update 2026
Since this post was written in Marh of 2014 four more grandchildren have been added to our family
Zoe – daughter of son Peter and Melissa (Sept 2014)
Logan – son of Peter and Melissa (Jan 2017)
Emma – daugher of daughter ELizabeth and Marcus Rego (Feb 2023)
Lucas – son of daughter Elizabeth and Marcus (May 2025)
I have had the honor to babysit all of them! And watched them grow with the Quiet Faith of this man, So far so good!
So sometime this month, my wife and I will become grandparents for the first time, when my son Andrew and his wife Meaghan have their baby, Oliver Edward Karn!
Well, it’s actually Meaghan doing all the work right now and Andrew just gets the congratulations!!
A couple of weeks ago, they had Meaghan’s baby shower.and Oliver’s gifts from Andrew’s brothers and sister and my wife and I were books and not just any books, but ones that were special to us.
The kids picked ones that were read to them and my wife and I picked either ones that were read to us or ones that we read to the kids!
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After my wife, whose idea it was first announced the idea. Peter immediately said “I’ll get Where the Wild Things Are” – though Bossy Boots may have been a better choice!
Elizabeth’s Pick Abiyoyo??
What surprised my wife and I, was the first book that Elizabeth picked, which was Abiyoyo! The picture book based on the Pete Seeger song….
My Selection of Books for Oliver Edward!
Four out of the five books that I gave Oliver were ones that I read to the kids. The only one that I could think of from my childhood was The Little Engine that Could. I remember that my mother’s mother always read that one to me!!
Here’s my other four….
In the Night Kitchen – Maurice Sendak – I always loved to read this one to the kids and I think that the controversy over the nudity of Mickey is ridiculous! (Update : Elizabeth’s Emma had no reaction to Mickey’s Nkedness@ LOL)
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola – I always enjoyed the mayhem created by Strega Nona helper Big Anthony when he does what he is not supposed to do!
The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher – Beatrix Potter – I had to include a Beatrix Potter book on my list I think we wore out all the copies of the many books that we had!! This one was always a favorite but they are all great!!
Runaway Bunny – Margaret Wise Brown – Now this pick was a little controversial only in that when my wife told me that it was one of the books I had on my list, I didn’t believe her. I thought that the fifth book on my list was Ezra Jack Keats’ Maggie and the Pirate and it wasn’t until she showed me my list that I believed her. But I’m glad it is on the list because it’s a great book that talks of parental love!!
Oher Books From the Kids….
Other books included Ezra Jack Keats. The Snowy Day from Elizabeth. Gregory the Terrible Eater and The Tomten from Nick and Noisy Nora, Max’s Toys, and The Tale of Miss Moppet another Beatrix Potter favorite!
Final Thoughts
So Oliver we hope you enjoy these books, which are the start of a library that I know will get bigger and bigger, because you know Oliver, you can never have too many books
Now the reason that this all came to mind today is that I was looking at videos of Doc Watson’s music because today is his birthday (video to come soon) and while I was thinking about Doc – the other folksinger that came to mind was the late ( I hate to write that) Pete Seeger.
\ I went and found this video taken from the show Reading Rainbow with Pete telling his tale of Abiyoyo!!1
